Water Conservation / Supply Reconnaissance Study Part 1

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I"- L-1 district, do not exist within Wyoming. However, wells are clustered along the North Platte River downstream of the confluence with the Laramie River and adjacent to the Laramie River near Wheatland Flats. Administration of the river is presently governed by the terms of the North Platte River Decree (October 8, 1945; Stipulation and Decree, October 1952). The Decree apportions natural flows of the mainstem from Whalen Dam downstream to the state line as 75 percent to Nebraska and 25 percent to Wyoming from May 1 through September. In addition, the Decree specifically restricts the State of Wyoming from: Diverting or permitting the diversion of water from the North Platte River above Guernsey Reservoir and from the tributaries entering the North Platte River above Pathfinder Dam for the irrigation of more than a total of 168,000 acres of land in Wyoming during any one irrigation season; and • Storing or permitting the storage of more than a total of 18,000 acre -feet of water for irrigation purposes from the North Platte River and its tributaries above Pathfinder Reservoir between October 1 of any year and September 30 of the following year. The conditions and restrictions of the Decree outlined above could impact potential water conservation and supply projects (i.e. new storage, or agricultural related alternatives) in Region 1. All water conservation and supply projects that are evaluated in Region must comply with the provisions of the Decree outlined above. Region 2 South Platte River Basin Upstream of the Western Canal Diversion Region 2 includes the South Platte River above the Western Canal, just over the Nebraska - Colorado state line. The South Platte River originates in the mountains of central Colorado with a drainage area of about 19,020 square miles in the state of Colorado (Smith, 1996). Elevations in Region 2 range from 3,450 feet at Julesburg, Colorado near the state line to 14,000 feet in the headwaters area. At the western margin of the basin, precipitation averages 40 inches annually, which includes snowfall in excess of 300 inches. In contrast, the annual precipitation on the plains in eastern Colorado ranges from 12 to 16 inches (Dennehy, 1993). Surface water and ground water are used extensively throughout the region for irrigation, municipal, domestic, livestock, and industrial water supplies. According to the 1995 USGS Water Use Data annual diversions in 1995 3 -5